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Meerkat Manor: The New Flower
In December of 2009, a group of five female meerkats emigrated into a wild group. One of the females was Flo, the ex dominant female of the Van Helsing and a daughter of famous Whiskers leader, Flower. Due to how rare it is for females to join an established mob (due to being unrelated to the natal males of said mob), this is certainly going to be an interesting tale to unfold. Cast Flo Whiskers - daughter of Flower and Zaphod, and one of the founders of both the Aztecs and Van Helsing. Flo was the dominant female of the latter, until she was ousted by her sister Billy. She is the oldest of the little female coalition. Juani, Chole, and Tortilla - Flo's nieces via her sister Bananas, they were the first official litter born into the Van Helsing. Troy - Flo's niece via Billy, she is the youngest female of the band. Hoax Mob - a group of fifteen meerkats led by Tina Sparkle, a former Whiskers female, this group is low on numbers when the Van Helsing girls come around. Chapter One For the meerkat group known as the Hoax, life had been a series of ups and downs. First there was the fact that neither Mau Mau or Tina Sparkle could produce a surviving litter of pups, then the males all left in search of better pastures and opportunities. And then Mau Mau vanished and only a pregnant Tina Sparkle was left. That is where the story should had ended, because it was highly unlikely that the pups would survive or that Tina Sparkle would last long without a group. But fate decided to be kind and one male ended up staying at Tina Sparkle's side. The pups were born, a litter of three and somehow were raised with only one pup being killed by a predator. It took until next year for a second litter to be produced, but her son and daughter were old enough to help out even if the two pups did not survive. After that the Hoax began to grow because enough pups were surviving to adulthood. At some time her mate had died, and two old faces joined her ranks. The infamous Wilson and his brother Philippe. But times had not been kind to the Hoax in the year of 2009, the group had begun to shrink due to evictions and roving, on top of that Wilson had died which left Philippe the undisputed dominant male. -- August was the month most waited for by the inhabitants of the Kalahari, simply because the winter drought would be broken by the arrival of the rains. There would be plenty of food and it would no longer be so cold in the mornings. August was a month of blessings...but for Flo it was the month of September that changed her fortune, reducing a queen into nothing more but a pauper. It had been common for Flo to evict her sister Billy for a long period of time, but not because of spite. It was really because Billy was the one female who posed the biggest threat to the dominant female. Being close to her age, and thus being both older and experienced, Billy could easily have overthrown Flo in order to become the new leader. And on that day, she did just that. Having given birth only a few days before, Flo had not been at full strength the day that Billy rejoined the group. Flo had expected her sister to grovel before her, but instead she found herself under attack and in the end it was Flo who ran first. And she never went back. Instead, it was a group split that ended up bringing the former queen around. Billy had led the group to a different area entirely, and failed to notice that a group of four females had wandered off. Her daughter Troy was the one who was leading the small group of rebels, probably trying to prove that she had her mother's grit. The three sisters were older than her, but neither Juani, Chole, or Tortilla made any effort to take a different route. In the end it mattered not because all four had full bellies. And not a single clue on how to find the rest of the Van Helsing. As for Flo, she had left the Van Helsing far behind. Deciding to start from scratch a third time. But...this time she was all alone, and that would make things difficult. Roving males rarely stuck with a single female, if she had the luxury of two or three others females, then that would improve her chances. Aware of the challenge she faced, Flo was deciding on a different strategy. Instead of trying to create yet another group, this female is going to see if she could join an existing group. It is a huge risk, she would be considered a threat to the dominant female and chances are she may get pregnant sooner or later due to being unrelated to the natal males. But if it is a small group, there may be a different outcome. Small groups, especially those struggling to stabilize themselves, rarely turned away a meerkat who wished to joined their ranks. Regardless of gender. Many groups were formed by groups of meerkats from the same group, but sometimes composition groups were made of meerkats from various backgrounds. Flo is fully aware of the possible consequences from her plan, but she has very few options available. She could always return to the Van Helsing, but then she would at Billy's mercy and prone to being evicted. The sight of Titan and Billy together...nope she won't put herself in that position. And so, Flo begins her mission to find a new family to call her own. Chapter Two It has been several days, and the four Van Helsing females are still lost and alone. Troy has been leading them from place to place, mostly to forage. But now her three cousins are starting to not listen to her, and that is a problem. If the girls manage to attract rovers, then Troy may not have a solid claim to dominance. Today it is Juani who is up first, looking around before pulling herself out of the bolt hole completely. After a look around in all directions about two or three times, the female sits down to catch some rays. Her sister Tortilla is up next, and soon Chole follows. Troy is not going to join them just yet. The self-proclaimed dominant female is still asleep. A good group would wait for hours until their leader finally decided to get herself in gear, but Bananas's daughters are hungry and ready to keep up the search. For family or rovers, whatever happens to come first. By the time their lazy member finally puts in an appearance, all three sisters are long gone. But there is still their scent trails which Troy uses to locate her wayward subordinates. Juani, Tortilla, and Chole are already quite some distance away, filling their bellies while their newest member takes watch. It's Flo. She had been sunning outside of her bolt hole when her three nieces turned up on her doorstep, at first all four meerkats had been confused. But in a matter of moments Flo was accepted by the three younger females. With the addition of the younger females, Flo had a better chance at surviving and perhaps being queen again with their lack of interest in leadership. In time the four become five as Troy finally locates her missing companions. The sight of Flo is enough to turn Troy into a docile little lamb. Even if Troy is a tough meerkat, Flo is in the best condition which means that she could probably easily beat the younger female. Billy's daughter will have to wait and hope that maybe the future will bring another chance of dominant. With no luck at finding any roving parties, Flo wonders if maybe they would do better to rejoin the Van Helsing and wait for winter. The dry season was the time for roving males, the need to breed during the dry months to ensure that the pups born would benefit better from when the wet season came. But it looks like this plan is not going to be good. It seems that Juani, Chole, Tortilla, and Troy's idea of wandering away from the foraging party has not sat well with Billy. Instead of being welcomed home, the five females are chased off by the Van Helsing. It could just be because of the fact that Billy is pregnant, but the five females decide that it is not worth the effort trying to wait until the new dominant female felt ready to accept them. It's just Flo and her girls. Chapter Three After viciously losing their territory to the Commandos, it appeared that no meerkat of Whiskers blood would ever take back the Big Dune. That was how it appeared...until Tina Sparkle led her small troop of fifteen to glorious victory. Although outnumbered by the Commandos who had eighteen members, and in the process Wilson was killed, the Hoax were able to drive the Commandos out of Meerkat Manor. It was not a Whiskers' victory, but the fact that a granddaughter of Flower, one who could have easily been killed before ever seeing the sun, had been the one to do what Rocket Dog and Sophie had not...that is just beautiful. The burrow that Tina Sparkle had the group at was special to her. It was at this very burrow that Tina Sparkle had been born. A certain direction leads to the place when her unfortunate sister Sparkle had perished, forgotten during a den move. Her first litter of the season had been born in this sacred spot, a healthy litter of five pups. While the pups play, their proud parents look on. Philippe is even more prouder than most...because he is finally the top dog. As much as the group loves spending time with the new pups, they need to stock up which means it's breakfast time. Tina Sparkle leads the way with the rest of the group on her heels, leaving her daughter Jessy to babysit. For most of the morning, all is quiet at the Hoax burrow. However, as midday approached, Jessy leads the pups below ground to keep cool. It seems that Flo's little band has the same idea, which leads them into the same burrow. For a moment the two groups are okay, they use different entrances that leads to a different set of tunnels. Chole is a bit hesitant, however, because she can smell the scent of unknown meerkats. And it is quite fresh too. Juani and Tortilla had to work together to convince their reluctant sister to join them. To set Chole at ease, Flo decides to scent mark the walls of the burrow. It does the trick and all five meerkats are able to relax until the heat breaks. While the pups are taking a nap, Jessy decides to do a quick check of the surroundings. Being underground is safe, but if she is not careful then trouble could strike. Poking her head out of the entrance she used, Jessy looks around. Except for a lone vulture circling in the distance, there is no aerial danger. As for land-based foes, all Jessy sees is a lone hare grazing nearby. It is completely harmless. Satisfied, the female turns to go back to the pups, but only then does she catch a whiff of unknown meerkats. Tentatively, Jessy creeps closer to the other burrow entrance, and peers into the gloomy darkness. Yep, there are indeed intruders who not only are on Hoax land, but are currently residing in the main burrow. For a moment she is hopeful that the meerkats are rovers, even if that will get her in trouble with her mother...but this band is all female. A pity. But now Jessy has a problem on her hands. Even if there is only five meerkats in this group, that doesn’t mean that the Van Helsing evictees would not hesitate to attempt a burrow raid. This could be used as a means to get a burrow and maybe a patch of territory for themselves, thus setting down the foundation for a new group. Of course, the Hoax would come back and drive them off. Or worse if any of the girls was not fast enough to escape. Right now Jessy can do nothing but hope that the evictees won’t stumble upon Tina Sparkle’s pups. As one of the oldest females, Jessy is a strong meerkat. But she is not superman, she could only fend them off for so long. With that in mind, Jessy retreats back into the burrow complex where the pups are waiting. Out of in the pasture, the Hoax had been resting in the shade until the midday heat had gradually faded. Instead of returning to forage, Tina Sparkle decides to head home early in order to check on Jessy and the pups. As the group returns home, there's no strange activity above ground, but something doesn't smell right. Philippe and Tina Sparkle investigate. It was a foreign scent but something is oddly familiar. But just in case, more members enter the burrow to provide backup if needed. While some are looking into the strange smell, the other Hoax meerkats go down to look for Jessy and the pups. At first Jessy has an aggressive response, but then she calms down as the familiar smell of Hoax registers. Her family is back, the pups are going to be okay. Flo and the girls may not be so lucky, they had been curled up in the chamber fast asleep. But Tortilla, who was known to be a light sleeper, hears something that makes her wake up. What was that? Leaving the other females behind, the young female goes off to investigate. For a moment there is nothing, but the faint sounds of other meerkats. But then she takes a left turn and runs straight into Philippe. The dominant male jumps in surprise, not expecting this. Tortilla takes her chance and quickly retreats while he is still stun. But it isn't long before the group is homing in on the females' location. Flo, Chole, Troy, and Juani have woke up upon hearing the racket. They are in time to see Tortilla rush into the chamber, with several Hoax meerkats on her heels. Flo is quickly singled out as the leader and finds herself face to face with Tina Sparkle. Her followers can only watch as the two oldest females, who were good friends back in their Whiskers days, stare each other down in confusion. Do they forget so many years of history? Especially because Tina Sparkle had once babysat Flo and her two sisters. Knowing she might be taking a gamble, Flo flops onto her side. It is a sign of submission. For a moment there is no response from the Hoax leader, but then Tina Sparkle turns and goes back towards the burrow entrance, she calls off her followers and after a bit of hesitation, the five females follow. Jessy is wary of the new females, but seems somewhat comfortable with Chloe, Juani, Tortilla and Troy, as they are close in age. Slowly, the other young females join her. As she nurses her pups, Tina Sparkle observes the interaction. Jessy may have decided that Bananas's girls are good friends, but the other young Hoax females are not quite to warm up just yet. In fact one female, named Bubbles, lashes out when Troy accidentally treads on her tail. Billy's daughter is quick to move out of the female's space. Content with what she has seen between the young females, Tina Sparkle turns her gaze elsewhere. The teenagers are playing, most of the males are on guard...except for one. At the edge of the group, Tina Sparkle notices her mate and aunt. The problem with having unrelated members in an established group is that they open mating opportunities normally reserved for the dominant pair. The young males of the group are already starting to give the five females long looks, but the fact that Philippe seems interested in Flo may be something for Tina Sparkle to deal with in the future. Due simply to age, Flo is the topmost threat to Tina Sparkle's position. If Flo were to oust her, then Philippe would be able to stay purely due to being unrelated to Flo or any of the other Van Helsing females. While she is not one prone to paranoia, Tina Sparkle decides that Philippe and Flo have gotten to know each other long enough. Her pups make squeaks of protest, but the dominant female pays no mind as she goes over and asserts herself. Philippe sheepishly retreats, while Flo makes no effort to try fighting for power. Tina Sparkle is a bit wary, but decides to accept that her aunt will be no competition. As the day come to a close, the five Van Helsing females are able to join their new family in the main sleeping burrow. Despite the problems their joining may cause, Flo and her nieces are able to rest knowing that for now they are safe. Chapter Four It is a warm January day, and already the Hoax are up and doing their morning chores. Some members are on guard, but most of the meerkats focus on tidying up the burrow entrances. This burrow probably won't be where Tina Sparkle's next litter are born, due to becoming infested with fleas and ticks. But that doesn't mean they can sit around and let it look like a mess. A well-kept burrow can last for many years, and this burrow is proof of that. One meerkat is not pitching in the help though and that is Troy. The five females have been doing their best to keep in Tina Sparkle's good graces, but in the end the temptation of so many unrelated males proved too much and Troy had mated with one of Tina Sparkle's sons. That male, Hero, has been groveling before Philippe ever since. Because his father had been Wilson, Hero and the other older males could be evicted. Especially if Flo or one of her nieces were to take dominance. Male evictions are rare, but they can happen. But, right now, there are more important things to deal with. It's a big day for the whole family as Tina Sparkle's pups are joining them to forage for the first time.